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Here's a little GIF I made. Feel free to use it whenever people start with you about innovation being useless, nonessential, a waste of time, doesn't belong in government, etc.

The fact of the matter is - innovation is absolutely mission-critical.

However much the agency is spending - it absolutely can spend less and do more.

In fact it is entirely possible for the agency to become a revenue center as opposed to a cost center and eliminate the burden on the taxpayer, if not mostly, entirely.

We can reconceive of government not only as a customer-centric enterprise but as one that wholly benefits the taxpayer rather than taking money from them and returning questionable value in return.

To do that we have to work smarter, not harder. Collaboratively, not in stovepipes. Trustfully, not with hate and jealousy and turf wars. And above all inclusively, allowing the world to breathe air into stale and musty areas of the mission that we mistake for essential operations.

If we don't embrace innovation we will all figuratively die if and when the public decides they no longer can afford the overhead - no matter how important or essential we think we are.

And if you don't believe me, turn on the news any day of the week. They aren't saying that agencies are lean and efficient. Rather, we are constantly accused of wasteful spending.

I've been a brand consultant and I've worked for government agencies in a public affairs capacity as well as in management.

The reality is that if you do not have a very strong brand ethic to work against, disagreements and turf battles on the inside easily divert time and attention from the unifying focus that any organization must have: the customer.

What is your organization supposed to do? Just do it. That is your brand.

Anything else must be ruthlessly chopped away, no matter how painful that may be.

I do not normally have time to read books, nor do I like to pay for them (I'd much rather scan them on the weekend, while drinking my Starbucks at Barnes & Noble).

But given my own painful journey out of the stifling world of ultra-Orthodoxy, when I came across a review for Leah Vincent's Cut Me LooseI had to find out more.

The subject matter of the book is obviously dramatic and an easy sell - high conflict, high drama, religious cultism, abuse of women, the social meaning of self-abuse, sexual promiscuity, parental abandonment, poverty.

But given that you can write anything on a book jacket, I still wasn't sure. Had they exaggerated to make a buck? Would the narrator be shallow and self-absorbed? Was it worth reading, or would it be boring, like most books? Thiscomment by Beth DeRoos addressed my initial objections and made me take the leap.

(Marketing note, because this is technically a marketing blog: 1) Title books descriptively to reach your target audience 2) Get them covered in a blog your target reads 3) Have someone review it comprehensively on Amazon.)

Having read the book in one night from cover to cover, I am writing this post to urge others, particularly Jewish women who come from an ultra-religious background, to do the same.

For one thing, it's a great read.

Second, in the end Leah gets the true love that she always wanted, was denied, and deserves. I don't think it's a spoiler to reveal that Leah ultimately creates her own kind of life, her own identity, finding joy in selfhood, a non-subservient and equal marriage, and motherhood.

Finally, Leah makes meaning out of her own extraordinary pain by joining Footsteps, an organization that helps other Jewish refugees from the contemporary cult known as ultra-Orthodoxy. (And they ARE refugees, often left penniless and on the street by their families, for others to prey on.)

Red balloons are simple, clear and there is nothing else like them. They stand out in every room. There is even a hit song about them called "99 Red Balloons."

Similarly, the most valuable brands are totally different yet belong everywhere -- always while being completely unique.

On an individual level, celebrities are in-your-face memorable:

The Kardashians

Elvis

Liberace

When you think of engaging retail or place-brands -- that is, brands that are more than just a single individual -- they effectively express a larger-than-life personality that is distinct and hard to duplicate:

Starbucks

Apple

Disney

Most people are pretty tame. They paint inside the lines and use the ordinary amount of colors.

But if you want to be an extraordinary marketer, you've got to walk, talk, eat, sleep and dream in glowing neon.

More than that, you've got to show the most fiery part of your soul right there on the surface. Don't bury it under a lot of irrelevant talk. Unlike the rest of life, people are looking only for the main and most relevant idea.